A Hobbit sized adventure. Read Kidzworlds review of LEGO The Hobbit Video Game!
An Unfinished Journey
LEGO The Hobbit, from developer TT Games manages to improve on The LEGO Movie Videogame but fails to meet the greatness of LEGO Marvel Superheroes. Offering a fun adventure for established fans but one that leaves the player wanting at the end.
You see, LEGO The Hobbit is based on only the first two parts of The Hobbit movie trilogy, as the third part has not yet released. So what you get is a super abbreviated version of an already unfinished story. If you haven't seen the movies, you may have a tough time piecing this disjointed adventure together. But for those that are familiar with the material, there is enough fun to be had to make it worth a look. Just be prepared, this game has no real ending and it's all over a bit too quickly.
Trolls! run Bilbo!Courtesy of TT Games
As it's been in a majority of the LEGO games, you'll swap between an assortment of characters, utilizing their unique abilities to solve environmental puzzles and enemies alike. Where LEGO The Hobbit trips here is that many of the characters in LEGO The Hobbit look way too similar making it difficult sometimes to quickly find the character you need in the selection wheel. It's a small issue that only occasionally caused an annoyance though.
Use Gandalf's magic to create new pathsCourtesy of TT Games
Most of the time I was hacking away at the LEGO world, smashing everything in sight or gleefully shooting arrows into orcs as I rode the river rapids in barrels. The puzzles in LEGO The Hobbit are for the most part interesting enough while not being overly challenging.
Other than a couple ill explained sections that slowed me down slightly, the action moves along well. The few high speed chases peppered throughout the game offer an exciting change of pace from all the hacking and slashing through hordes of trolls and goblins - I mean, who doesn't want to sled across a grassy field being pulled by rabbits? Moments like that made me wish I had an open world to just explore at my own pace. While there isn't much new in terms of gameplay, what's here is fun, tried and true to the series.
Final Thoughts
If you're a gamer that likes to go for 100% completion, once again TT Games has packed the world of LEGO The Hobbit with dozens upon dozens of characters to unlock, secret to find and items to collect. There's no shortage of game here, except for in the story department. I would have preferred TT Games wait until the whole Hobbit movie trilogy was complete instead of giving fans an incomplete story but what is here is still a good time. The world is beautiful to look at and the action and puzzles entertain.
For fans of the LEGO series, there's plenty to enjoy.
LEGO The Hobbit is available on all major consolesCourtesy of TT Games
LEGO The Hobbit:
Available now on Xbox One, Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Vita, 3DS, Wii U and PC
Have Your Say!
Ready for another LEGO adventure or are you burnt out on LEGO games? Let us know in the comments below!
